Gold and pink is a sophisticated color combination. It feels appropriate for the holidays, but also shines for Valentine’s Day and spring. That color combination inspired this soap, which is topped with Gold Sparkle Mica and pink sea salt. The colors also make an appearance inside the bar with a pink layer and gold mica line.

We scented the batch with Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil. It’s a bright combination of grapefruit, jasmine, and traditional rose notes. It does slightly accelerate, but that works well for the layered design and textured top. The pink sea salt is sprinkled on top for texture and color. Gently pressing the salt into the soap helps the salt stick, but some will fall off when cut.

To achieve a nice white color, we added plenty of titanium dioxide. When a large amount of titanium dioxide is used it can lead to glycerin rivers – learn more about them here. One of the best ways to prevent glycerin rivers is to use a water discount. That can lead to trace thickening more quickly, so use your stick blender sparingly for this recipe.

If you’re a cold process soaper, you’ve heard the term “trace.” Simply put, “trace” refers to the point in soapmaking when the lye water and oils have emulsified and won’t separate. There are different types of trace, including thin and thick trace, which refer to the consistency of the soap.

The concept of trace can be difficult to understand when you’re a beginner. The best way to understand trace is to make soap! After a few batches, you’ll easily be able to differentiate between thin, medium, and thick trace. Once you understand what trace is, you can experiment with manipulating trace with your recipe, your stick blender, and with heat. Learn more in this post, including tips on how to achieve different types of trace.

In the Soap Queen TV video above, Anne-Marie demonstrates what different types of trace look like including thin, medium, and thick trace. Where did the term “trace” come from? The term “trace” was created to refer to the point in soapmaking where you can lift out your stick blender, and “trace” your initials into the top of the soap.

The video also demonstrates “false trace,” which refers to soap batter that looks like it has emulsified but actually hasn’t. False trace is usually the result of cooler temperatures. Learn more about false trace here, including how to avoid it and how to fix it if it happens to your batch.

For this recipe, I kept things simple to let the creamy texture of the soap stand out. It’s scented with eucalyptus essential oil for a refreshing scent. The smell is great during the cold winter months. Titanium dioxide is added to lighten the color, while ground pumpkin seeds add exfoliation. Because this recipe contains plenty of olive oil, a small water discount helps it pop out of the mold a bit quicker and prevents glycerin rivers. Learn more about water discounting in this post.

Below, you can see one of the test batches for this soap that I made on Facebook Live. The recipe has been tweaked a little bit, but it gives you an idea of what this project looks like in action!

After the holidays, I always feel the need for a bit of detoxing and rejuvenation. That desire to hit the reset button inspired this soap recipe, which contains rose clay and charcoal. Both are known for their oil-absorbing properties. Charcoal in particular binds to dirt and oil in the skin, bringing them to the surface. In these bars, charcoal is sprinkled in between layers to create rustic-looking stripes.

The rose clay in this recipe is dispersed in distilled water rather than oil to help compensate for the absorption properties. Learn more about working with clays in your products. The clay, along with Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil, will cause the trace to become thick rather quickly. For this design that’s totally okay. These bars are meant to have a natural and rustic look to them, so you don’t need to worry about the layers being straight or the top being smooth. These bars really play up the thick texture!

After a few washes, the rose petals will fall off. But, I think they are totally worth it – they really are the cherry on top! Of course if you want to skip them, feel free. When it’s time to cut the bars, the rose petals can get caught under the knife and create drag marks. I threw caution to the wind and used the Multi-Bar Cutter. That created drag marks on about half the bars. But, I think they actually contribute to the “natural” look and feel. Depending on your preference, cut the bars on the side to avoid the drag marks, or embrace them by cutting straight down.

“Confetti soap” refers to bars that contain shreds of previously made batches. The soap shreds look like pieces of confetti or sprinkles in the final bar. I love the playful look it creates. The technique is a great way to use up extra soap or a batch that didn’t turn out quite right. I have used both fully cured soap shreds and fresh soap shreds with good results.

For this Violet Confetti Tutorial, soap colored with Queen’s Purple Mica and Titanium Dioxide are layered to create contrast. Shreds of soap made with Queen’s Purple Mica and Orchid Mica are added to the white layer for interest. If you don’t have leftover purple soap, other colors would look great as well. In particular, shreds of green, yellow or pink soap would look beautiful. Violet Fragrance Oil mimics the purple colors. This fragrance accelerates slightly, which aids in creating a textured top. Lavender Mica is sprinkled on top for sparkle.

I can’t believe this is the last tutorial for the #SoaptheRainbow series! Six weeks went by so quickly. If you haven’t participated in the series yet, there is still time. Share your purple projects on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the tag #SoaptheRainbow for a chance to win a $10 Bramble Berry gift certificate. There is also still time to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE of over $250 worth of colorants, fragrances, molds and more.

Today is the third tutorial in the Back to Basics Cold Process Series. The first two projects were designed to give you a “feel” for soaping, and did not feature color or any complex design elements. Now, we are ready to work with color, thick trace and gel phase! The Back to Basics Soapmaking Kit includes all the soaping ingredients you need to create all four recipes in this series, including the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold. Now, let’s get soaping!

Basic layers are a fantastic design option for the beginner soaper. To make sure layers don’t blend together, the bottom layers of soap need to be thicker than the top layers. This Layered Lavender Cold Process Soap works with thick trace to ensure the layers stay separate. Thick trace soap has a texture similar to pudding, and holds its shape. To help give the soap its thick texture, this project uses Lavender & Cedar Fragrance Oil, which accelerates very slightly. To learn more about trace, check out the All About the Trace blog post.

In addition, this project uses LabColors to give the layers a purple ombre effect. LabColors are highly concentrated liquid dyes. In order to be used in water based projects, they first must be diluted in distilled water. Click here to learn more about LabColors, and how to dilute them. LabColors become more vibrant when the soap goes through gel phase. Gel phase refers to the part of the saponification process where the soap gets warm and gelatinous. Gelled soap looks slightly more transluscent and shiny than non-gelled soap. Click here to read more about gel phase, and see how gel phase affects LabColors.

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